A Month of Thanks, A Summary of Thanks

So, I pretty much fell off the Month of Thanks wagon there towards the end, but mostly it was because I was enjoying all of the things that I have to be thankful for.  If I have taken nothing else from this Month of Thanks business, I have at least come to the realization that I am one lucky girl.  I have a LOT to be thankful for.  Really.  I have a super handsome, amazing, loving husband whom I totally don't deserve but am so grateful for, 4 beautiful, healthy, happy kids to adore, a family that is so my rock in a storm, and a life to envy.  Even in the hard times. No, it's not perfect by any means, and I will be the first to admit that, but man is it good!  Maybe we should integrate a bit more thankfulness into our every day lives, even if just quietly and to ourselves.  Maybe instead of one running month a year of thankfulness, we should take one small moment every morning and be grateful for something in our lives.  I can only imagine how much more pleasant every day life would be if everyone took a moment to be thankful every day.

A Month of Thanks, Day 23

I know it's a bit early.  Though I'm not as early as some of my friends out there.  That's right, we decorated the Christmas tree tonight.  I know I said that I wasn't putting it up until after Thanksgiving, but technically, we celebrated Thanksgiving today, and that's good enough for me.  So what I'm thankful for today is sharing the joy of decorating our Christmas tree as a family.  It's so nice to spend the time hanging the ornaments and standing back to look the tree over.  I have suspicions that Leelah and Michael are getting to that age where they feel like they are too old to be doing these sorts of things, and so I am soaking it all up, and hoping that in all my small ways, I am teaching them that family comes first.  I know that today, I am thankful for mine.

A Month of Thanks, Day 22

Today I am thankful that my fabulous hubby surprised me by coming home early and saving me a drive to and from Battle Mountain.  The end. :)

A Month of Thanks, Day 21

I don't have many friends, really, and even fewer that I would call close friends.  But the ones I do have are pretty amazing, and I'd like to take today to be thankful for them.  I am thankful to have friends who have stuck it out with me even when life wasn't easy or fun.  I am thankful for friends who stand by me, even if I'm wrong.  I am thankful for friends who forgive me for my imperfections.  You are truly amazing people, and I am lucky to have you in my life.  It doesn't matter if we don't get to see each other every day, or that we don't talk nearly as often as we wish we did.  I know that we all have lives of our own, and I understand that it's easy to get caught up in them.  What really matters in the end is that we are always there for each other, in whatever ways we can be.  And that makes a huge difference sometimes.  So, to all my amazing friends out there, whether we talked today, or a week ago, or even a year ago, you know who you are, and that you are indispensable.  Thank you for you.

A Month of Thanks, Day 20

Today I am thankful for all the fun and silly things that I get to do with my amazing kids.  Last night, we had an impromptu Unbirthday-Fake-Mustache Party.  Yep, you read that right.  We wanted a birthday cake, and since it was no ones actual birthday, we decided to have a party of our own.  And it was just plain fantastic.


  Anthony chose this mustache because he said it looked like Luigi's.  LOL 

And oddly, Michael looks like Mario...

Leelah paired hers with a fabulous purple wig.

 Here is the cake we bought.  We stuck a giant Mr. Potato Head mustache on it, to go with the party theme.  It was much more attractive before Drake swan dived into it.  Thankfully, the plastic cover was still on it when he did.

My niece, Michelle, petting her mustache.

Drake had a runny nose, so his mustache is most definitely not re-usable, but he does look rather dashing.

Somehow, my mustache is two-toned.  Weird.  And I was doing my best mustache face, which I think is a phenomenal success.




My brother Bowie and his girlfriend Felisha attended our party as well, but I didn't get a very good picture of them.  Hmmm...




Nights like this leave me a lot to be thankful for.  They're filled with the sorts of things in life that simply cannot be replaced, like my kids' laughter, and the memories of how much fun we had.  I hope that there will be many more of these impromptu laughter inducing episodes to be thankful for in my lifetime, and that I pass on to my children the ability to enjoy life at a moments notice.  :)

A Month of Thanks, Day 19

Wow, this month is flying by!  Hard to believe it's already 19 days into my Month of Thanks, and only 5 days until the actual Day of Thanks.  And what sweet little revelations this daily thankfulness has brought to my life!  So that is what I'm thankful for today.  I am thankful for this Month of Thanks business, and for the interesting little enlightenment's thinking so hard about being thankful is bringing me.  I hope that thinking about being thankful is bringing all of you the same joy that it's bringing me, and I say try not to be thankful only during the Month of Thanks, but every day, for all the little things that really make a difference.

A Month of Thanks, Day 17 and 18

So, I missed my first day so far in my Month of Thanks yesterday.  Not bad, 16 days in a row.  I was wiped out last night, and, well, I thought about my thanks, but just didn't get to putting it out there.  So, for yesterday, I am thankful for laughter.  It's amazing how just a little bit of laughter can change the course of your whole day.  It's true that laughter is the best medicine.  My favorite kinds of laughter are happy baby laughs (cuz let's face it, no one can produce an innocent happy laugh like a baby) and those deep-seeded belly laughs that make everything in the world seem like it's going to be okay.  We need more laughter in our day to day lives, and more reasons to laugh.  Now that would change the world!

Now, for today, I am thankful for Fridays.  I don't just mean the day-of-the-week Friday.  What I really mean is your work Friday, which could really be any day of the week.  For me, it does actually happen to be on the-day-of-the-week Friday.  I am thankful for Fridays because it seems like knowing that the weekend is so close can get you through just about anything.  And when it's been an especially long week, Friday is even sweeter.  Nothing makes you appreciate how hard you've been working as your Friday does.  This week was one of those long weeks, and at the end of the day today I let out a long sigh and thought "Man am I ever thankful for Fridays!" :)